Meeting hears that Mayo artists are thriving
Sally Rooney
The Arts Officer of Mayo County Council has over 450,000 people engaged with arts programmes in Mayo during the lifetime of the council's last Strategic Arts Plan.
Anne Marie McGing presented details of the county’s new Strategic Arts Plan, which runs from 2026-2031 and is currently at draft stage, at last week’s Community, Integration and Recreation Strategic Policy Committee.
Ms McGing said the new plan would keep arts in a position as a significant contributor to the future of the county with the council long regarded as one with a strong commitment to the arts.
She said in the lifetime of the last plan, over 1,800 events were held in which 453,000 people engaged with in-house programmes or initiatives funded by the council. Employment opportunities were created for 860 artists in this time.
Ms McGing said the success of author Sally Rooney and musicians Tom Coll and Conor Deegan of Fontaines DC, who began their careers in Mayo, were just some examples of the talent created in the county.
She said the new plan had a number of strategic objectives including supporting artists in Mayo, making space for the arts, increasing access and participation in the arts and enabling collaboration and partnership with groups such as Film Mayo.
Cllr John O’Malley, who proposed the plan, called for greater backing of community spaces such as community centres.
“We have to fully support people who once had to go away from here to be involved in the arts,” he said. “It is great that areas have community centres to practice in and it is important that groups are accommodated in every way possible.”
Cllr Ger Deere seconded the plan.
“We’ve come a long way with the arts in Mayo and we’ve really punched above our weight. I recently took part in a Lip Sync event and it is great that the public supports these events so much,” he said.
“Cllr O’Malley also competed in a Lip Sync recently, we might have to have a battle,” he joked.
The new Strategic Arts Plan will now come before the next full meeting of Mayo County Council.
